Protective headgear



April 1955 D. L. SPRINKLE PROTECTIVE HEADGEAR Filed Jan.

FIG. I

FIG

INVENTOR. DALLAS L. SPRINKLE -TTORNEY United States Patent PROTECTIVE HEADGEAR Dallas L. Sprinkle, Akron, Ohio, assignor, by mesne assignments, to The Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company, a corporation of Ohio Application January 15, 1952, Serial No. 266,511

3 Claims. (Cl. 2-3) This invention relates to protective headgear, and especially to headgear having a resilient suspension provided therein for engaging the head of the person wearing the headgear.

Protective headgear of various types has been made heretofore with the headgear having different constructions for different planned uses. One particular type of protective headgear to which this invention particularly relates is that used by soldiers in the United States Army, which headgear comprises a metal helmet that is removably carried by a rigid liner which has suspension means therein for engaging the wearers head. In many instances, the liner will be worn separately from the metal helmet, and such liner at least is supposed to be worn at all times by army personnel in combat zones. Other types of protective headgear made in accordance with the invention also usually would be worn for relatively long periods of time, such as by a worker during his entire working day so that it is very important that the headgear and suspension therefor be so constructed as to provide maximum safety in the protective headgear with minimum discomfort to the wearer.

Some previous protective headgears, and suspensions therefore, have been objectionable in that they only provide more or less spot contact between the headgear suspension means and the wearers head at circumferentially spaced portions of the headgear suspension. Also, protective headgear, it is thought, have never been real satisfactory in the type of action thereof in that they have not combined effective cushioning support action with wearing comfort.

The general object of the present invention is to avoid and overcome the foregoing and other disadvantages of known types of protective headgears and suspensions therefor and to provide a headgear having suspension means therein characterized by the substantially continuous contact between a circumferentially extending portion of the headgear suspension and the wearers head.

Another object of the invention is to provide a protective headgear which has maximum cushioning and shock absorbing means provided therein at the forward and upper portions of the headgear where blows are most apt to be received.

Another object of the invention is to provide a protective headgear of the class described wherein convenient adjustment means are present to render a standard headgear adaptable for comfortable Wearing by persons having relatively widely different sized heads.

Yet another object of the invention is to provide a protective headgear wherein the headgear and suspension therefor are relatively easily constructed and are made from cushioning materials adapted to have a long service life.

The foregoing and other objects and advantages of the invention will be made more apparent as the specification proceeds.

For a better understanding of the invention, reference is directed to the accompanying drawings wherein one currently preferred embodiment of the invention is illustrated and wherein: n

Fig. 1 is an elevation, partially broken away and shown in vertical section, of a protective headgear of the invention shown positioned on a wearers head;

Fig. 2 is a bottom plan taken on line 2-2 of Fig. 1 of the headgear alone; and

Figs. 3 and 4 are fragmentary vertical sections taken 2,706,294 Patented Apr. 19, 1955 on line III-III and IV-IV of Fig. 2, shown in normal wearing positions.

The protective headgear of the invention comprises a member for covering the head and suspension means for supporting the member on the head of the person wearing the headgear, which suspension means include a plurality of sponge rubber strips positioned in crossed relation within the member and extending over the inside of the top portion thereof, which strips are suitably secured to the member, and a circumferentially extending sponge rubber strip secured to the first-named strips for engaging the wearers head to position the headgear thereon.

For the purpose of this specification, the term sponge or foam rubber is taken to mean any soft, resilient porous rubber product whether it is made from rubber latex or similar materials by a foaming or a beating action, or whether such rubber is produced in other manners, as from solid rubber made porous by a blowing or similar operation, and it relates to materials made from natural or synthetic rubber or rubber-like materials of any suitable composition.

Attention is now directed to the details of the structure shown in the drawing and the protective headgear is indicated in general by the numeral 1. This protective headgear 1 includes a liner or head covering member 2 that is of any desired conventional construction and which usually is made from rigid but resilient, impact resisting material. The protective headgear of the invention is shown positioned on a wearers head indicated at 3.

As an important feature of the invention, the member 2 is held suspended from engagement with the wearers head 3 by means of a plurality of sponge or foam rubber strips. Fig. 2 best shows that a pair of rubber strips 4 and 5 are placed in crossed relation within the member 2 and that they extend from adjacent the lower edges of the member upwardly over the top of the inside of the member and cross at the top of the member to provide a double thickness support means at this portion of the protective headgear. In some instances, it may be desired to form this upper part of the suspension for the member 2 from a unitary X-shaped member which might be of uniform thickness throughout, or which could be of double thickness at the top of the member, as desired. These rubber strips 4 and 5 preferably have a suitable fabric cover 6 positioned thereover, which cover 6 usually is made from conventional water-proof fabric means and may be made of canvas for rugged service life. These rubber strips 4 and 5 are secured to the member 2 by use of any suitable means, such as rivets or rubber cement. It should be noted that the rubber strips 4 and 5 are not secured to the member 2 adjacent their lower ends so that limited movement of the lower end portions of such strips is permitted.

The primary head engaging means of the suspension of the invention comprises two arcuate sponge or foam rubber strips 7 and 8 that extend circumferentially of the member 2 at the front and back thereof. As heretofore described, these rubber strips 7 and 8 usually have suitable fabric covering means 9 and 10, respectively, positioned thereover and, as an important feature of the invention, the rubber strips 7 and 8 are suitably secured to and positioned by the lower ends of the rubber strips 4 and 5. These rubber strips 4 and 5, and 7 and 8, can be secured together by sewing or cementing the covering means 9 and 10 to the covering means 6, by riveting such means together, or in any other conventional manner, as desired.

In order to fit different head sizes, an adjustment of the size of the suspension means for the member 2 is provided by means of suitable adjustment members shown in Fig. 2 of the drawings and comprising suitable snaps 11 carried by extended end portions of the covering means 10, whereas sockets 12 are carried on the covering means 9 at the ends thereof that protrude beyond the rubber strip 7. Thus, due to the limited movement provided for the rubber strips 7 and 8 by the means positioning such strips, the snaps and socket means provided can readily be used to adjust the circumferentially extending portion of the suspension to an individual wearers headsize.

It should be noted that the front rubber strip 7 and covering means 9 thereon are normally spaced slightly from the adjacent inner surface of the member 2 as such rubber strip is positioned on the inner sides of the rubber strips 4- and 5 and separated thereby slightly from the member 2, as indicated in Figs. 2 and 4. However, the rear rubber strip 8 is ordinarily positioned directly against the surface of the member 2, as indicated in Fig. 3, as the lower rear end of each of the rubber strips 4 and 5 terminates above the rubber strip 8 and only the cover 6 extends down to engage the cover 10 of the rubber strip 8. The spacing of the rubber strip 7 from the member 2 also permits air to be circulated intermediate the inside of the member 2 and the wearers head after the member is positioned thereon as some air vents are always formed intermediate the rubber strip 7 and the member surface of the liner 2.

Rivets 13 are shown for securing the rubber strips 4 and 5 to the member 2.

In accord with the foregoing, a novel and improved protective headgear is provided. This headgear has an effective resilient suspension which effectively cushions the head covering member from the wearers head. Thus the objects of the invention are thought to be achieved.

While one representative embodiment and details has been shown for the purpose of illustrating the invention, it will be apparent to those skilled in this art that various changes and modifications may be made therein without departure from the spirit or scope of the invention.

What is claimed is:

1. A protective headgear comprising a member for covering the head, and suspension means for engaging the head of the person wearing the headgear, said suspension means including a plurality of fabric-covered foam rubber strips positioned in crossed relation within said member and extending from adjacent the edges of the member over the inside of the top thereof, means securing said strips to said member, circumferentially extending fabric-covered foam rubber strips within and adjacent the lower margin of said member, and means for securing the lower ends of the crossed strips to the circumferentially-extending strips, portions only of the circumferentially extending strip at the front of the headgear being spaced therefrom and the strip at the rear of the headgear being in engagement with the headgear.

2. A protective head covering comprising a head covering member, substantially X-shaped protective strips of fabric-covered foam rubber positioned within said member and extending from adjacent the lower margins thereof over the inside of the top portion thereof, means securing said X-shaped protective strips to said member but leaving the lower ends thereof free for limited movement with relation to said member, circumferentially extending protective strips of fabric-covered foam rubber secured to the lower ends of said X-shaped protective strips to be positioned thereby and with a portion of the circumferentially extending strips being spaced from the inner surface of said head covering member, said X-shaped and circumferentially extending protective strips being overlapped to provide a double thickness adjacent spaced front portions of the head covering, and reduced thickness means for adjusting the length of said circumferentially extending strips connected to such strips to make an annular band therefrom.

3. A safety headgear including a hat-shaped member, circumferentially extending strip means of fabric-covered foam rubber adapted to surround the head of the wearer of the headgear and positioned substantially horizontally inside of the lower portion of the member, an X-shaped strip means of fabric-covered foam rubber positioned between the top and sides of the member and the head of the wearer and engaging both the member and the head of the wearer over substantial arcs of contact to support the member in highly cushioned fashion on the head of the wearer, and means spaced from the top and bottom of the member securing the X-shaped strip means to the member, the lower ends of the X-shaped strip means being secured to the circumferentially extending strip means intermediate such strip means and the member to secure such strip means in position, the fabric cover only of said X-shaped strip means being positioned at the rear of the circumferentially extending strip means and the full thickness of the X-shaped strip being associated with said front circumferentially extending strip means to space portions thereof from said member.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,184,043 Heilstedt et al. Dec. 19, 1939 2,342,501 Strauss Feb. 22, 1944 2,384,183 Ludwell Sept. 4, 1945 2,432,164 Kerr Dec. 9, 1947 2,634,415 Turner et al. Apr. 14, 1953 FOREIGN PATENTS 350,142 Great Britain June 11, 1931 530,434 Great Britain Dec. 11, 1940 

